Outcasts
by Diomede
Summary: A feisty vampire, her brother and her roaming boyfriend are wanted by their conclave, Daybreak and by a certain stranger...
1. Default Chapter

The two of them walked side by side down the alleyway

The two of them walked side by side down the alleyway. The taller of them shortened his step while the slightly shorter girl lengthened hers so they strode in steps that were synchronized and familiar.

"Here it is," the girl stopped. She placed a hand on her hip and tossed her mahogany waves over her shoulder. 

"That's it?" the boy questioned incredulously. "It looks like a leftover set from The Crucible. It's practically a hut."

The girl had to admit that the place did look like it had a history behind it. She was sure that each rotting plank and all the mould that they could see had its own story to tell.

"You've seen bigger dives than this, Colt," the girl said as she began to map her way through rubble and broken debris.

"A dive from a board sixty foot high couldn't create enough splash to get this place clean," Colt returned as he followed her reluctantly. He neatly dodged the ruined remnants of the once glorious house behind his sister.

Iris Auroch ignored her brother studiously while she studied a door in front of her. It barely hung on its hinges and with a regretful shrug, she kicked it in.

"Whoa," she coughed, as clouds of dust filled not only the air, but also her nose and mouth. "Nasty."

Colt entered the house behind her and looked around. There was a silence as they took in their surroundings before Colt spoilt it. "Nasty alright," he agreed, coughing. "I haven't seen décor this ugly since you refurbished your room last spring."

"Hey," Iris argued, "I still maintain that it turned out okay."

Colt snorted but didn't reply. When Iris turned to ask what had inspired her brother's unusual decision **not** to have a go at her, she found him crouched down with his head bent over a pile of fallen books. It looked like the shelves they had belonged to had lost the war with the local termites.

Colt looked up at his sister's approach and his green eyes were clear yet emotionless as always. He held a leather bound book in his hands that he tapped gently.

Iris raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" she asked, unbelievingly. "It can't be that easy."

Colt shrugged and rose elegantly to his feet. "As easy as that blond chick from last night." He grinned menacingly and tucked the book into his black coat. "But not nearly as fun."

Iris scowled and led the way out again, kicking a few rotten planks out of the way just for the fun of it. "I've told you before that there are certain details of your life that can be left in the dark, brother dearest." She held a hand up to shield her eyes from the sudden piercing light and moved aside for Colt to get out.

Her brother clipped her lightly under the chin as he went past and mock pouted at her. "But sis," he moaned, "I thought we told each other **everything**."

"If we tell each other everything," Iris asked, her green eyes suddenly turning serious, "Then why won't you tell me what this book is for exactly." The book in question jutted from Colt's jacket and left a single square outline in the fabric. 

Colt didn't turn around when he answered. "You just said certain details should be left in the dark." He kept walking away until there was a considerable distance between them. Finally, as she knew he would, he stopped and spun on a heel to yell at her to hurry up.

Iris Auroch shook her head and sped up to fall in step with her brother once again.

.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.

She was sitting in a small, dimly lit café called The Cave four hours later, sipping on a drink that was definitely laced with something alcoholic. The Cave was aptly named because it was in fact, partly underground.

It was situated on a hill, or in a hill, to be more exact. You went from the footpath, into a hall lined with paintings and lit with candles, and further along to the café itself. It was a large room covered with murals, writings and quotes with candles taking up room everywhere.

Iris twirled her fingers through the flames of the few candles set on her table absently with one hand while sipping her drink with the other. Over the rim of her glass, she surveyed the room through cool, green eyes.

Colt was talking to some girl at another table. His eyes were calm, his smile interested. She saw him lean over and whisper something in the girl's ear.

Nothing new there, Iris mused. If a girl had a bra on, her brother could be found searching for a way to find the clasp. He had his routine down to an art that girls' tended to enjoy viewing.

Meanwhile, here she was sitting on her lonesome as if she had nothing better to do.

"Hey babe," a voice said from behind her. A hand reached down under her chin to tilt her head back and then she was being thoroughly kissed. She closed her eyes and allowed the invasion until she was gently released.

Golden eyes looked down into hers. "What are you drinking?" Hex Redfern asked. He licked his lips. "It's tasty." He planted another kiss on her lips briefly. "So are you, though."

Iris rolled her eyes as he took a seat opposite her. "Flattery doesn't stop you from being late," she said.

Hex shrugged elegant shoulders and smiled lazily. "No, but I thought it might stop you noticing it."

Iris decided that she wouldn't be fighting a lost cause if she made a deal of it so tactfully let the matter drop. Luckily too because Hex didn't even bother to offer an excuse.

"It doesn't matter," she dismissed. "Some guy kept me company."

Hex' golden eyes snapped open wide and his lips thinned into a line as he glanced around him carefully. "Who exactly?" he enquired tersely. When he saw her teasing, and slightly triumphant smile, he relaxed.

He sent her a warning look as he rose a hand and snapped his finger so that someone came to serve them. It completely passed his attention that customers were meant to go up to the counter for drinks or maybe he didn't care. 

Either way, someone had seen his gesture and like nearly everyone, had responded to the clear aura of authority and confidence by approaching them. 

It was a girl that Hex barely glanced at. "I'll have two of what she's drinking thanks," he ordered dismissively before waving her away. The girl went silently like she was meant to. "You did want another one didn't you?" Hex checked as an afterthought.

Iris sighed and nodded. What was another drink? Hex could drive her home if she didn't feel like it.

"Have you heard any news from the conclave?" Iris asked. She slipped a cube of ice in her mouth and bit into it. The cracking sound was kind of nice. Not as dull sounding as bones cracking but it had that nice ringing tone to it all the same.

Hex scowled. "Maybe," he answered. "It sounds like they've all gone to ruin. All the young people have left and the ones left are as unprepared to set foot in today's world as Neo was from the Matrix."

"I loved that movie," Iris commented absently as she twirled her straw in the now empty glass.

Hex either didn't hear her or chose not to. Instead, he leaned forward onto the table and folded his arms, leaning on them for support. The look in his eyes caused Iris to pause her twirling to fix him with an unwavering gaze of question.

"What?"

Hex smiled slightly. His hawk eyes were intent as he gazed at her. "I heard something interesting today," he invited.

Iris narrowed her eyes impatiently. "Care to expand on that?"

Hex smiled. "The elders at the conclave," he began slowly, teasingly, "Want us back."

Iris frowned. "Us?" she repeated.

Hex nodded. "Us." He confirmed. "My devastating self, you're brother and his shocking dress sense and of course," he winked flirtatiously, "You're beautiful self as well."

Iris let her breath hiss between her teeth in a fashion that made Hex catch his breath. She shook her mahogany colored curls back from her face. "What for? They gave us permission to leave in the first place."

It was true. They had. The three of them had petitioned the elders a year and a half ago and they had granted them their request of freedom. They had made their way into the big bad world and survived and Iris, for one, was unwilling to return to the confines of her former home.

"Now here's the strange part," Hex warned, frowning slightly himself, "We don't know why. I only heard this from some of the guys I went hunting with last night. The elders haven't actually sent word out yet, but it sounds like their serious."

Iris didn't care how serious they were. There could be a mass spread of the plague and she still wouldn't pause to consider going back. Going back was retracing footsteps that had been left behind to fade and she refused to go treading that familiar path again.

She said as much to Hex. 

Her boyfriend agreed readily. He enjoyed his life away from the conclave. Humans walking around like a lunch just waiting to be sliced and diced were a joy to see after a hard night on the town. The memory of prepackaged blood was not a pretty one.

"I'm not saying we're going back there," he denied vehemently. "I'm just saying that that's the deal."

"It's not a deal until it's cut and dried and we're not going to give them the chance," Iris snapped. "I'm done with the conclave. I'll marry vermin before I stop in there for a chat."

Hex laughed. He liked Iris' sarcastic humour and the way her emerald eyes flashed when she used it. It was so damn refreshing.

He pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped the bottom of the box sharply so that one fell out. Scooping it up with one hand, he wielded a lighter with the other and took a long drag.

Iris sent him a look reminding him that she definitely did not approve of his habit but who was she to judge him? Hex could look after himself and he looked after her so she figured if he wanted to stink like an ashtray, it was his choice.

"Don't think you can go kissing me after that," she said lightly.

Hex just shrugged his shoulders with a smile and took another drag, spilling his smoke in her direction just to see her eyes flash again in annoyance.

"You're drinks sir," the waitress appeared at their side again bearing two identical drinks that she placed in front of both of them. "Here you are."

Hex ignored her and kept smoking. When she didn't move from her place, he flickered a glance up at her impatiently.

"Are you waiting for something?" Iris asked in a cool voice. Gods, she hoped the girl wasn't going to try flirting with Hex. That happened far too many times and right now she wasn't in the mood to put up with a sideshow.

"Cat got your tongue sweetheart?" Hex inquired silkily. Amusement lit his eyes as he ran his tongue across his lips suggestively. 

"I just wanted to say that, uh," the girl stumbled across her newfound confidence. "Well, I mean to say that, uh…" she trailed off again and shuffled her feet awkwardly. Iris knew she was regretting opening her mouth.

"Spit it out darlin'," Hex drawled. He sounded bored now and all traces of amusement were gone. Unlucky humans died for less than this.

"Well, sir," the girl began. She caught Iris' icy glare and kept going boldly. "You shouldn't be smoking," she said finally. "It's a really bad habit and it can cause lung cancer."

Hex choked on his smoke. Iris started coughing. Both were having a hard time containing their laughter.

The girl didn't seem aware of their reactions. "It's true," she attested. "I learnt it today in class. You've got a much higher chance of getting lung cancer the longer you smoke."

Hex seemed to find composure while Iris was still searching for hers. "Thanks for that little token fact, dear," he said coolly but with laughter in his usual impassive eyes. "Now run along. Keep up the good work and earn us an A will you?"

The girl gave them both a bewildered look and hurried away back to her place behind the counter. 

Iris traded a look with Hex in her wake and their faces broke into smiles. Hex shook his head regretfully and stubbed his cigarette out on the table. "They've really got to stop hiring vermin here."

He took a swallow of his drink and then placed it firmly back on the table. His golden eyes glanced around the room absently then stopped when they reached Colt's familiar figure.

"You're brother needs to settle down," he remarked.

"He's not the marrying type, Hex, you know that."

Hex shook his head. "No, I mean really. In five minutes he's going to get done for indecent exposure and that girl is going to end up in the slammer with him if she doesn't pull her skirt down."

"What?" Iris leaned around Hex to wear her brother was sitting. Correction. **Had** been sitting. Now he was almost on the floor and the girl with him didn't look like she minded. In fact, it looked as if she was dragging him down herself.

"That's disgusting," Iris wrinkled her nose.

"You think? She's got great legs if you ask me."

Iris narrowed her eyes dangerously at the guy that was supposed to be her boyfriend. "Ask her for a go after she's finished with Colt," she invited sarcastically. "She looks like she could go for a second round."

"Nah," Hex dismissed with a wave of his hand, a look of mock regret on his handsome face. "After the work out Colt will get her through, she'll be useless."

"Ha ha ha."

Hex' face broke into a heartbreaking smile. He reached across the table and touched her cheek lightly. "I love it when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Iris contradicted. It was true. She wasn't jealous. She was just annoyed that Hex' full attention wasn't honed directly on her. 

"Yeah, I know." He almost sounded disappointed.

That was a strange factor in their relationship. Iris knew full well that Hex got some of his kicks elsewhere. Namely, in other people's beds and it didn't bother her in the slightest. He could do what he wanted.

And she knew that the girls' he took to his bed were simply toys and that he would always come back to her. He always had and always would and it was the way she liked it.

She on the other hand, didn't look elsewhere let alone go there. It wasn't from lack of offers that she didn't stray; it was just that there was never anyone worth while to stray with. 

It was a relationship that worked for both of them and Iris was comfortable with him. It helped that it was blindingly obvious that the guy was in love with her anyway.

Hex sighed tiredly and finished his drink. "I'm bored," he whined.

A smile threatened to tug at the ends of Iris' perfectly curved lips. She finished her drink in a swallow and they stood together. Hex reached out to take her hand and led her around the table and across the café, passing Colt's still very busy figure on the way.

"Hungry?" he asked while smiling.

"Very," she returned with a smile of equal measure. 

.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.~`*`~.

Colt Auroch noticed his sister and Hex leaving from the corner of his eye. He had to push down the girl's mass of blond hair to see them but that didn't bother him since it sent a fresh wave of apple smelling scent his way.

He pressed his lips to the girl's in a last lingering kiss and then abruptly went to his feet, letting her waist go so that she ended up sprawled on the floor.

The girl cried out angrily and glared up at him. Colt looked down at her furious form and smiled in amusement. "Sorry," he apologized, not meaning a word of it. "I've decided that public displays of affection really aren't for me."

With that parting line, he turned and left, leaving the girl and her angry words behind him. He sighed to himself. It was a shame to part on such bad terms, he thought with a grin.

The girl had been a welcome diversion from keeping a constant vigil over his feisty wee sister and he could admit that he was more than a little annoyed that his sibling had chosen to leave at such an inconvenient time but he supposed she wasn't to know.

He had been waiting for her to leave for at least an hour and a half, a time frame that grew because of Hex' usual problem with punctuality. The guy desperately needed a watch. The boy might be brilliant when it come to hunting out the latest dish on the ever growing human menu, but with time management he was a definite loser.

Colt whistled to himself, winked at a passing girl and her friend, smiled arrogantly at the giggles he left in his wake and made his way to his car.

As usual it was parked on the curb and was shining proudly. He had been waiting for Iris to leave because he knew that she was waiting to see what he would do next. Or more to the point, what he would do next with his newly found tool. The Book of Vlath. 

Of course, he couldn't let her know because that would be giving the game away far too early. So he had waited until Hex had come and neatly occupied her time so he could get away without a family entourage.

He opened the door to the car and his satisfied smile was instantly wiped from his face as he leaned under his seat and found empty space. Cold, moving air that made it patently obvious that his precious book was **not** there. 

"What the fuck?" he yelled furiously. He leaned further into the car to peer under the seat and what his hand hadn't found, his eyes couldn't find either.

It was gone.

He swore again and slammed a tight fist again the steering wheel of his car. A passerby looked across at him in startlement and moved away from him. The look in the boy's eyes was one that sent a shiver down her spine.

Those eyes were dark, chips of stone that were blazing with an anger that she had never seen before and wasn't likely to see again unless she happened to cross the stranger again.

Colt Auroch jumped his car and turned the ignition sharply. The car squealed away with a scattering of loose gravel and the squealing of tyres. A heavy metal tune blared from the powerful stereo before it was quickly turned off. The only evidence of him was the smell of exhaust fume and petrol.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two ****

Chapter Two

Iris Auroch threw back the covers of Hex Redfern's bed slowly and quietly. She swung her legs onto the carpeted floor and paused, looking back at her boyfriend's sleeping form.

The sheets were twisted and lay across his stomach, leaving his muscular chest bare and his face, relaxed in sleep, weirdly vulnerable. Hex kept his cold, detached look on all the time except in sleep and it was a sight that never managed to leave her without a feeling of sudden warmth towards the sleeping vampire.

She pushed the thought from her mind and as she stood and walked naked to his wardrobe where she pulled a robe from its hanger and then shrugged into it.

In the kitchen she made herself a coffee and sat at the bench sipping from it. From the corner of her eye, Hex' answer machine blinked a furious red. Curiously, she leaned over and pushed a button, sending her brother's voice into the room with unearthly clarity.

"Hex, it's me," Colt stated. Her brother did not sound at all happy. She could hear a tone of frustration and impatience that was all too familiar. "Where the hell are you? You said you'd meet Iris an hour ago and as eager as I am to see you're gorgeous face right now, I'm equally as eager to rearrange if you don't get your ass here pronto." There was a pause as Colt took a sharp breath. "Got it?"

He hung up then and the answer machine beeped loudly then a mechanical voice informed her that the message had been left last night. Colt must have called from the Cave before Hex had shown up to meet her.

Iris brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and waited patiently for the next message.

"Uh, Hex," an alien voice said. "I need to score some stuff off you. Call me when you can, preferably soon. Please." The 'please' was obviously added as an after thought. The guy had obviously met Hex before.

The machine beeped again and left a time for when the message had been placed. ::Obviously someone wanting some drugs again:: Iris thought. Her boyfriend tended to dabble on the other side of the law and made a fair dollar out of it.

Iris was at the kitchen sink again, washing down some headache tablets with a glass of water when she felt warm arms wrap around her from behind. Hex' breath tickled her ear and neck as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder.

"Checking up on me again?" he asked. She turned in his arms to see his golden eyes regarding her lazily, a small amused smile curved his lips. 

"There's two messages on the machine for you," she replied, pulling away from his hold and moving to the other side of the kitchen.

"Really?" Hex didn't seem very interested. "You'll make someone a great secretary one day."

"I'm going to have a shower."

"Mmm," Hex murmured. "That sounds like fun."

Iris frowned. "That wasn't an invitation."

"I usually don't need one," Hex returned, moving towards her again.

She dodged his reaching arms with growing exasperation. "Piss off Hex," she snapped, pulling the robe tighter around her. Her green eyes flashed as she had to once again move away from his moving body. "I'm having a shower and if I see you in there the only part of my body you'll see is my fist."

Hex sighed and glared at her. He was wearing absolutely nothing, which was no surprise since he slept in nothing even when she didn't stay the night. The word modesty was just not in the guy's vocabulary.

"What's with you?" he snapped. "Don't tell me you're making friends at the local convent."

"I don't believe in God remember?" Iris reminded him coldly.

Hex shrugged his shoulders and poured himself a coffee with his muscled back turned to her.

"Shame," he replied. "God had the right idea with Adam and Eve. Nakedness was never a problem in the Garden of Eden."

Iris rolled her eyes as she once again pulled her robe tighter around her slim figure. "You've conveniently forgotten the end of the story I see."

Hex turned back to her with a smile lighting his face. It was a smile she knew and had committed to memory many years ago. His golden eyes were slightly aloof as if their argument and its outcome didn't bother him in the slightest. He was just going through the motions.

He took a swallow of his steaming drink and when his eyes appeared from above the rim of the cup again they were cool and remote. "Just have a shower already, Iris," he said tiredly and walked past her and into the lounge.

Iris was left standing in the kitchen alone, glaring at his retreating back. 

If she couldn't understand the relationship between her and Hex then she could never expect him to either. They went way back and she often wondered if they were together because they wanted to be or because old habits died hard.

When Colt and Hex and her had been at the conclave they had been the closest of friends. They were all the strongest, toughest and smartest people their and it wasn't just their own opinions. They learnt to distance themselves from the others because the others were weak.

They just kept pulling them down. And pulling them back. They tried to infuse them with memories of good times long gone and a sense of loyalty that proved to be more impossible than they bargained for.

Hex couldn't give a stuff about the conclave. Colt would quite happily return with the sole purpose of killing off every last one of them. Iris really didn't care and didn't spare the conclave a thought.

The one occasion they had talked about their past family was on the car trip away from the mountains that had been their home. It had been agreed that the conclave served to hold them back and punish them by forcing them all to stay and serve its elders and its community.

None of them liked being used and none of them would ever stand for it.

But Hex and her, they were another issue all together. They had been together since she could remember. Her and Colt, then Hex and Colt became best friends and then she had moved into the picture and stolen Hex' heart.

And now she had no idea what to do with it.

Hot water streamed down her back and pooled at her feet. Her hair was slicked back into a dark whirling curtain and her face, upturned into the pouring water, was calm and serene.

Her inner emotions however told of a different story.

Something was definitely bothering her. Colt for one. His unusual persistence in not telling her about his ancient book not only confused her but also royally pissed her off. And then of course there was the small matter of her vampire boyfriend.

Hex, for all his attitudes, habits (and there were more than a few) was her friend and most of the time, was more than a friend. He was loyal to her and to Colt and that earned him several points in his favor.

And she trusted him. Somewhere along the line he had proved himself to her and had managed to earn her respect. She knew he was cold, heartless, passionate and ambitious and she suspected that deep down inside that was why she liked him.

In him, she saw herself and it reassured her that there were other people like her out there. She had a brush off colder than an arctic storm and even Hex with all his ruthlessness and emotional detachment had trouble understanding her.

But she knew that he would be there always because despite his initial arrogant and self-glorifying intentions, he had grown close to her and there was now a strong connection between the two of them. Albeit, an unwilling connection but a connection nonetheless. 

Colt was in for a better chance of figuring her out but then he was family and didn't really count. It didn't help that she could never hope to figure her brother out for herself and though it annoyed her and it hurt sometimes, she had come to realize that Colt was just someone that could never be categorized into a basic personality. 

He was different.

Not different as in elf ears or tendencies for cross-dressing, he was just plain different. Something about him just threw people off. Namely, he just didn't have certain human qualities lurking in his persona and people usually sensed it when they met him.

It was nothing new to her. Hex and her were both missing more than a few it was just that Colt beat them to the count every time.

"Are you finished?" 

Iris scowled fiercely to herself and reached outside of the shower to grab a towel that she wrapped around herself. She didn't need to look to know that Hex was standing at the door waiting for her to get out.

She stepped out of the shower and for a moment Hex simply stared at her. It was only a moment and a sharp intake of breath that she heard as easily as a police siren and then it was gone.

He stepped forward and around her carefully, positioning himself so he wouldn't touch her. She looked over her shoulder to see him and his face was a frozen mask that was as unreadable and unpenetrable as rock.

His eyes flickered to her standing figure briefly then closed again under the jets of water. "I'll see you tomorrow, Iris," he stated without looking at her again.

She didn't bother to reply. She knew he could feel her anger and she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her respond in any way.

She left the bathroom and went to the bedroom where she dressed. She left by slamming the door behind her before Hex had made an appearance from the shower. 

She just hoped he heard it.

~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.

"You owe me a favor."

Iris snorted. "You owe me five hundred dollars," she returned. "Do you see me calling it in?"

Colt's emerald eyes were sharp chips of glass that she knew were reflections of her own. She only hoped she could look as dangerous and lethal as her older brother.

"You owe me a favor and I'm calling it in," Colt replied. His voice was low and matter of fact. He knew that when it came to private battles he nearly always got his own way. "And here's your five hundred dollars."

Iris looked down to see a thick wad of notes being held in Colt's offering grasp. She looked up at him and smiled her thanks. The smile was lacking in warmth and any sign of sisterly regard but it was a smile in that her lips moved upwards.

"Thanks." She took the notes and pushed them into the back pocket of her pants. "What do you want?"

"A bit of devotion and everlasting awe and admiration wouldn't go astray," Colt said. He tilted his head to his side as he regarded her. "Having problems with lover boy?"

"'Problems', dear brother, are when you're stacked against a pack of vampire hunters with odds of 10 to 1. What I have with Hex is a mild irritation at the most." Iris scowled at Colt's undying gaze. "I'll drop my journal around if your so interested," she snapped.

Colt looked amused and a touch interested. "I never pictured you as the next Anne Frank, little sis," he commented with a sardonic smile.

Iris shook her head and glared at him. "Sarcasm is lost on you, dear brother."

"Ah," Colt sighed, holding a finger up to contradict her. "But a good face with a figure to match never will be."

"You are such a man whore," Iris returned, her temper rising with every word uttered from her brother's lips. "You're probably more disease ridden than the local rats."

Colt laughed at that. His smile was like a small ray of sunshine escaping clouds so dense and black that you would hardly think it possible. 

Iris was forced to allow her small smile in return. Colt grinned down at her and threw an arm around her shoulders, slowly leading her down the street to his car. 

"Where would I be without you, Iris?" he sighed. 

"Cut the crap, big bro," Iris sighed. She knew she was getting herself into something here. If Colt was nice, it was a dead giveaway that he was after something big. Usually the something ended up dead as well. "What's the story?"

Colt laughed again and succeeded in making it even more obvious that he really did need her help. "Well," he began slowly. "Once upon a time an undeniably gorgeous vampire came across something a extra special value."

"I didn't know this story was about me," Iris interrupted.

Colt rolled his eyes tolerantly. "Ha ha ha," he said sarcastically. "You're a comedian now," his voice turned back to normal. "Let's turn the page and continue with the story."

"Shoot."

"I will if you don't shut up," Colt warned dangerously. "Now, if you're ready."

"I am." Iris assured him with a fake smile.

Colt's arm tightened around her shoulders and she let out a yelp of pain. She shrugged his arm off angrily and crossed them. "As I said before," Colt continued, this time with a triumphant gleam in his green eyes, "This gorgeous vampire, who naturally was me, happened to come across a certain item of extreme importance to him and a few others. This certain item was a little book called the Book of Vlath."

"It's all coming back to me now," Iris murmured under her breath. Colt elbowed her sharply until she swore at him.

"The Book of Vlath holds several spells that have been lost for generations. It was kept in a witchline called the Gedjara's. Of course, this line got wiped out a while ago and the book was lost. And then it was found." He smiled brilliantly. "You know who by of course."

Iris laughed coldly. "Obviously the finder was not the keeper." The flash of annoyance in Colt's eyes confirmed her comment. Her brother did not like being interrupted or having other people being a step ahead of him.

Needless to say he had been the sprint champion in his six months of high school.

"Obviously," Colt replied. His gaze made it obvious he didn't care for the reminder. "This is where you come in darling sister." He shone her a winning smile.

It did not however, have its desired affect. "I'm not doing any of your errands," Iris warned. "We agreed ages ago that we wouldn't get each other involved in any of our separate deals. **And** I still haven't heard why this book happens to be so special. Is it plated with gold or what?"

The curve of Colt's lips was slightly whimsical as he looked ahead of them with an almost dreamy expression on his face. For once, he was oblivious to the female gazes that as usual surrounded him.

"It contains spells that could earn me a lot of money. The Night World is after it because it holds the workings to raise the old powers; namely the dragons. It's going to make me a very rich man and rich and gorgeous is always a lethal combination."

"Firstly, you mean 'us', Colt," Iris corrected. "Gorgeous and rich is a lethal combination I agree and although it already applies to yours truly, my bank account will never begrudge a few extra zeros."

Colt's teeth were decidedly gritted and she knew that he was caught. He needed her help and he knew the only way to get it was to buy it. Family loyalty ran deep with them but if she was going to go out of her way for him, it wouldn't be out of the goodness of her heart.

"Fine." He gave in. "I'll let you rob me but I warn you, you'll be working for every penny."

Iris' undeniably beautiful face broke into a satisfied smile. "As long as I'll be getting more than penny's."

Colt nodded. "Oh, yes. Definitely."

Her brother grinned down at her and his face was almost as happy as it had been when they had been younger and life had not branded him with its harshness. When he looked up again, his sights were set on a blonde girl with an apron on. She was obviously a waitress at the café around the corner.

In her hands, she carried two trash bags and was making her way towards an alley to the dumpsters there. Colt's eyes followed her hungrily and Iris knew that this time it wasn't sex that he was after.

"I'll have to continue this later, sis," he said, his eyes not leaving the apron-clad form. The girl turned into the alleyway and Colt suddenly dropped his arm from around her shoulders and quickened his steps. 

Iris watched him leave. He moved with a predatory grace that only his instincts could match. Tall, lean and broad shouldered with dark auburn hair that revelled in its naturalness and was set off perfectly by piercing green eyes; he was a man that was used to getting what he wanted.

And since he felt like snacking at that blonde vermin, it went without saying that he would.

~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.

On the other side of town, Hex Redfern was also cutting a deal. He'd got his message after Iris had made her indiscreet exit and had answered it.

Now, he was inside his apartment cutting cocaine and sweeping it into a clear, plastic bag and sealing it. He sealed four different bags with the same amounts and then tucked his stash away behind a set of books in his tall, sweeping library.

In the lounge, he could sense that dirtbag Eddie rummaging through his CD collection and the action grated on his nerves. His cheek twitched as he grabbed the bags from his desk and left the study, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Hex!" Eddie jumped higher than most humans could in his surprise. "Hey man," he greeted the vampire uneasily.

Hex resisted the urge to sniff the air. Eddie's fear was like a stench that surrounded him. The thought of a quick snack entered his head but he pushed it away. No eating the clientele was one of his very few rules.

"The Whitney Houston's and Bette Midler's aren't mine," Hex said. His face was etched in a smile that failed to reach his golden eyes. Eddie didn't realize how fortunate he was to have a stash of notes hidden in his boot. Otherwise, he would have been dead meat fifteen minutes ago. Literally.

Eddie's laugh was uneasy to say the least. "Sure, I won't say a word," he promised in a voice that basically summed up his personality. 

One word and it was …weak.

Hex didn't reply. He moved towards the guy slowly and held the four bags out to him. "Got the money?"

Eddie looked startled for a moment and then he was rummaging everywhere, having forgotten where exactly he'd put the money. His fat, pudgy hands slid into his jacket pockets, then his jean pockets, both times coming up empty.

Hex gritted his teeth. "It's in your left boot," he stated, his eyes reduced to mere slits.

"Oh, yeah," Eddie attempted a smile that quickly fell when he saw Hex unamused face. "Yeah, right." He reached into his boot and as he bent over, Hex felt an almost overwhelming urge to snap his leg up and kick the guy in the head.

He had to tense every muscle in his body not to see the act through and when Eddie finally rose after several wrenching seconds, he decided that it was worth the effort.

Hex took the money from him carefully and tucked the bags under his arm as he flicked through it, counting every last bill.

"It's all there," Eddie assured him nervously.

Hex smiled. "So it is," he agreed. "Congratulations, here's your prize." He tossed the bags at Eddie who unsurprisingly failed to catch all of them. Two fell on the ground and the smaller and definitely fatter man fell to his knees in a scramble to pick them up again.

Hex' nostrils flared slightly as he smelt the guy's fear.

"Oh what the hell," he sighed.

Eddie's face landed on the tiles with a loud crack before he had a chance to look up. His body twitched momentarily then stilled. 

Hex smiled.

"You had you're chance Eddie boy," he shook his head regretfully. "But you should know better than to tempt me more than once in five minutes." He reached down and scooped up the bags and tossed them on the counter then threw the bills on the couch.

He lent down and pushed the limp body over with one simply movement. Then he bent down and after he felt that satisfying and familiar feeling of his canines against his lower lip, he sank them into Eddie's still warm neck.

"*FUCK*"

Hex jerked upright with inhuman speed and spat on Eddie's shirt covered chest. He spat again with a wince and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You didn't tell me you were a fucking junkie old boy," he scowled furiously. He lunged towards Eddie's arm and yanked it upward with all his strength. Then he ripped the guy's jacket sleeve off completely and twisted the arm so he could see it clearly.

Dots marked Eddie's inner arm in an erratic pattern that any dealer, nurse or doctor could recognize. The guy was damned heroin addict.

Hex sighed and stood up, kicking his foot sharply against Eddie's leg. "What a bloody waste," he snapped angrily. "I should have known not to hit a guy who wheels the goods. As much as I'd love to sample whatever it is that's playing carnival in your bloodstream Eddie my boy, I need a clear head."

He snatched the money from the couch and then his packages and returned them to the study. When he came back, the dead body in his lounge annoyed him immensely but he couldn't be bothered dumping it right now. 

He did however, vent his anger by way of a mighty kick to the lump as he stepped over it. It made a satisfying thump that almost brought a cold smile to his face.

He was reaching for his jacket when his intercom beeped beside the door.

"What now?" he growled. He stalked to the intercom and pushed a button aggressively. "Unless you're in a bikini and roller skates, piss off," he snapped.

There was a silence.

"That's no way to greet an old friend, Redfern."

The voice was cold, controlled and deadly low. The tones were soft and pronounced and Hex' breath caught in his throat.

Slowly and deliberately he pulled his jacket off and hung it back in the hall closet. Then he pushed another button on the intercom.

"Come up." 

Hex sighed and waited, hiding his nervousness behind a wall of cool disregard. First his fight with Iris, then Eddie and when he finally decides to make it up to Iris, he finds unwanted visits knocking on his door.

"Sorry babe," he whispered under his breath. "You'll have to wait."


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three ****

Chapter Three

Hex looked over at Eddie's dead body with a certain feeling of loathing. He considered moving it somewhere less obvious but when three, perfectly timed knocks, were heard the thought left his mind.

He reached forward and opened the door.

Emla Thorne stood at the doorway, looking as calm and composed as ever. Her body was poised and elegant as she regarded him momentarily through those clear hazel eyes. 

Then she tossed her head and sent waves of black hair across her shoulders. "Hex." She said the word with a tone of authority and distaste. The look on her perfectly boned face imitated her voice. The small curl of her lip in disdain could not be mistaken.

"Emla," Hex returned with a mocking smile. "Long time no see. So, why did you have to ruin it?"

"I don't usually make house calls," Emla ignored his comments. She stepped into the room and looked around. Her eyes rested on the dead body of Hex's former drug peddler for a brief moment before she disregarded it and continued her sweep of the apartment.

"Why am I so unlucky to be the exception?" Hex asked, for once faintly curious.

Emla turned to him and the subzero temperature in her eyes almost sent Hex a step back. Her face was blank except for a cool glitter in her eyes.

"You've got something I want, Redfern," she replied softly. "And I want it bad."

"If you wanted to sleep with me, _Thorne,_" Hex snapped sarcastically. "You just had to ask."

Emla's lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile. "What would the lovely Iris Auroch have to say about that, Hex?"

Hex felt a coldness sweep his body. He visibly tensed at her use of Iris' full name. "What do want with me?"

Emla laughed and ran a finger across the top of his gigantic stereo. She pulled her finger back and inspected it. "Clean? That's a surprise," she commented absently. She looked up at him again sharply. "I notice that that's something you've not been keeping. With the law I mean."

Hex followed her gaze until he reached Eddie's broken body on the floor. It was as he left it but he got the feeling that Emla was using the dead figure as an example of what he himself could end up like. 

"Cut to the chase and go for gold, Emla. If I'm right, I assume this house call isn't just to catch up on old times. What is it you want?"

Emla paused as her icy gaze once again scanned the room. She spun on her heel and turned back to him. "I want the Book of Vlath."

"The Book of Vlath?" Hex repeated stupidly. "I take it that's not a cook book."

"Where is it?" She snapped.

"I don't have it."

"No," she corrected. "Intelligence and any form of table manners you don't have. The book however, is here and I know it."

"Check you're information again, Thorne, because I don't have it. Now you're cramping my style and I have an appointment to keep."

"The only appointment you have is a private meeting with my stake. **Where is it?**"

Emla's voice was growing increasingly in volume and demand. It struck Hex as slightly worrying that Emla's usual impeccable manner was beginning to fade before his eyes. Whatever this book was it must be important.

"Who are you getting it for?" He demanded.

He watched as Emla started rummaging through drawers and under the couch in a desperate attempt to find her coveted prize.

"The council," she snapped as she threw cushions over her shoulder. "Two of us have been hired to find it and I swear to God if that bastard Declan Strartus gets to it before I do, I'll kill someone. You're running high on the list."

"Declan Strartus?" 

"*Yes, Declan Strartus!*" Emla yelled.

Hex looked shocked. Emla Thorne had just risen her voice above the normal whisper of conversation. That was a definite no no in her book of etiquette and a definite first as far as Hex knew. 

He had known Emla from a few operations that they'd been on together ages ago and they'd never taken to each other. She had been focused on nothing but the missions and he'd always had Iris.

"There's more to competition in this isn't there?" Hex asked softly. He still hadn't moved and while Emla was throwing everything her hands touched, he wasn't about to either.

Emla's shoulders slumped and she lifted her head to reveal a face that was bleak and tired. She brushed her hair back with one hand and went shakily to her feet. 

"We signed a blood contract together."

Hex' eyes widened. "You did **what?**"

Emla looked away then nodded dismally. "A year ago Declan killed my sister and for a year I've been gunning for him but I can't get anywhere near him let alone within distance of a stake." She looked away from his startled eyes. "When this contract came up for offer I took it. As long as I get the book before Declan does I'm safe and he's dead."

"Did you even read the small print?" Hex demanded. "You know that if Declan gets this 'book' first you've got a giant branch with your name on it headed for more than your aorta. What the hell are you doing Emla?"

The girl's eyes brimmed with tears that her pride would never let her allow to fall. It was enough to prove to Hex just how desperate she was. "She was my only family and he killed her, Redfern. I have to avenge that for my honor's sake and my sanity's."

"You're not playing with fire, Emla, you're playing with a bloody inferno. Declan is the best hitman in the entire Night World and in a society as twisted as ours that's saying a fucking lot. The guy's one sandwich short of a picnic to say the least."

Emla sniffed back her tears and her eyes clear. Her lids opened to reveal hazel eyes of brilliant clarity and they were filled with new strength and determination. She lifted her chin in defiance and her shoulders straightened proudly.

"He's dead. He doesn't know it yet but he's living on borrowed time."

Hex shook his head slowly. The only thing he could say to that was that obviously Emla was delusional but under the circumstances he thought it best to keep his mouth shut for once. 

"You really don't have it?" Emla asked one last time. Her eyes bore into his.

He shook his head. "I really don't have it."

"I'll take your word for it now," she promised hesitantly. "I have to go. If you see this book at all could you -"

"I'll make you sure you know," Hex nodded. 

"Thanks."

"Anytime Thorne," Hex smiled. "Break a leg for me. Declan's naturally." He didn't add how truly doubtful that would be. 

Emla's eyes flashed with something that might have been gratitude but it quickly faded behind her usual icy glare.

In a fit of graciousness Hex said, "Give me a call if you need my help with anything. I'll make sure I'm free if you do." 

She nodded with eyes full of gratitude then she left without another word.

Hex looked at the door after her and for the first time in his life, he sent a quick prayer up to the big guy or big lady up above. Sure, it was only a sentence but the thought should count. 'Please let Declan go easy on her,' he prayed.

Then his mind switched back to Eddie, who was beginning to stink his apartment out.

~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~

"Hello?"

"Iris it's me."

"What a pleasant surprise," Iris said drolly, rolling her eyes.

"What do you know about the Book of Vlath?" 

Iris thanked the goddess that Hex was a suburb away and not standing next to her as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Only that it sounds like a pretty interesting cook book," she covered up hastily.

"Yeah, I thought that too at first," Hex admitted. "But we never were good with guessing games. The book is some ancient, yellow-paged thing falling apart at the seams. It also has some important spells in it."

"Really?" Iris faked interest. "How intriguing."

"So you don't know anything about it?" he asked again.

"No," she replied slowly. "Why?"

"A friend is after it and she's headed for shit creek if she doesn't come up with the goods. The council are after it big time."

"Really? Who's your 'friend'?"

"Jealous again Iris?"

"Spit out a name, Hex."

"Emla Thorne."

"Emla Thorne." She repeated thoughtfully. "You worked a few operations with her didn't you?"

"Audition for the latest quiz show, you're a genius."

"Someone has to be," she returned. "Why is she so desperate for it?"

Hex sounded faintly tired with the whole conversation but at least Iris was talking to him now. "She signed a blood contract with the council for it against Declan Strartus."

"Declan Strartus?" Iris repeated. Worry flooded her. Everyone knew who Declan Strartus was. Colt, for all his prowess with a scalpel and anything else with an edge, was barely in his league.

"Are you intent on repeating every proper noun I say?" Hex sounded touchy.

Iris bit her lip to keep from smiling. "I apologize profusely my dear," she amended. "Emla was the dark haired one with hazel eyes right?"

"Right."

Iris thought she'd been right. So she remembered who Emla Thorne was. Hardly surprising really. The real surprise was that the girl was going head to head with Declan Strartus. That was ridiculous.

"Interesting," Iris mused thoughtfully. "Listen, can I call you back? I have to make a call."

There was a slight pause and Iris experienced a moment of worry when Hex didn't answer straight away.

"Meet me at the Cave tonight at eight. And try to bring the interesting side of your personality with you."

He didn't have to say that she was boring the hell out of him but it didn't matter to Iris in the slightest. She sniffed and agreed. She knew she really owed him after this morning and he had just done her a massive favor by telling her about Emla and Declan. Albeit, unknowingly aiding her cause.

The fact that the Night World had people out on the hunt for the same book as Colt and her were was worrying but with Declan Strartus in the running, worry had turned to full scaled unease.

She put a call through to Colt.

"I have serious misgivings about this," she confided softly. 

Colt's voice was confident as always. "There's nothing to worry about, sis," he assured her patiently. "Strartus doesn't have the leads that we do. We know what the damn book looks like and where it's been in the last twenty-four hours. Declan's sniffing a cold trail."

"Cold or boiling hot," Iris snapped. "If Declan Strartus finds a trail, he finds where it leads to as well."

"Where's your confidence gone?" Colt scolded.

"Away with the fairies." Iris' temper was rising rapidly with each sentence.

Colt sounded as if he was reaching the end of his tether as well. He took a breath and in a low growl he said, "Strartus is only going to be a problem if you let him be. If you consider yourself down and out before you've even faced him then I'm better off without your help and you'll be worse off without my money. I don't mind either way."

"I can do it," Iris reassured Colt. "I promise. You just never said anything about Declan Strartus becoming a player."

"It doesn't matter if Strartus is playing or not," Colt replied curtly. "Our names are on the trophy and the game's practically won. Strartus doesn't stand a chance."

Iris didn't voice her concerns that Colt sounded just a touch too confident. She knew that it had something to do with male competition but she never pretended to understand it.

Whatever happened though, she knew her brother was going to give his all and then some to make sure that even if he couldn't get the book, that Declan Strartus couldn't either. 

The guy had a reputation to maintain and it could be assumed that if it got out that Colt was also in the running against Declan, the odds would be laid on the table and Colt's would be riding low.

Iris knew her brother well enough to know that he would have already vowed to stop Declan at any cost. The least she could do was to back him up.

~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~

Iris was sitting with Hex on the couches at nine o'clock later that night. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and for one of the few times ever, she allowed herself to completely relax in his hold.

Her head rested lightly against his shoulder and her eyes were closed. Sleep danced beneath her lids briefly before movement broke the spell.

She opened her eyes and squinted up at Hex' face. His fine bones and perfect skin was lit beautifully by the lights above them and his lips were twisted into a question. His eyes looked over Iris' head and out towards the door.

"What's up?" she asked drowsily, nuzzling into the collar of his shirt.

Hex looked down at her upturned face and a look of affection filled his golden eyes. He smiled briefly and planted a kiss on her upturned head.

"How about you meet me at the door so we can head home?" he suggested. "I have to see someone."

Iris sat up slowly. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Who?"

Hex smiled again. Iris' face was questioning and a perfectly sculpted eyebrow was raised. Her lips were full and painted a dark crimson that set off her pale porcelain skin.

"Just a girl about some stuff," he answered slowly. He leaned close and whispered "I'll see you outside."

Iris got to her feet reluctantly and straightened with a yawn. "Okay, but you've got all of five minutes."

"Five minutes," Hex agreed. He watched silently as Iris turned and weaved her way gracefully between the tables and chair of the café. Then he turned his head away from her lithe form to the girl standing in the shadows by the alcove.

Emla Thorne's face was dark and her eyes watched him as he moved towards her. When he reached her, she took a step back.

"I hope this isn't going to become a regular thing," Hex commented while studying her face, searching for expression in the depths of her eyes. "It's hard to concentrate on a date when you've got someone else's eyes on you."

Emla lifted her shoulders dismissively. "I don't think Iris noticed anything."

"I had to keep her busy."

A grin flittered across Emla's mouth. "Practice makes perfect."

Hex shifted his weight from one foot to the other and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Anyway," he began curiously. "To cut a long story short, why are you here? Taking me up on my offer?"

Emla scowled. "No." She replied bluntly and coolly. Hex hid his amusement. Suddenly, her face turned serious again and a professional mask slid over her features. 

"You said you'd help me if I needed it remember?" she reminded him.

Hex winced. "Unfortunately, yes."

"I'm taking you up on **that** offer."

Hex waited.

"I need you to get your girlfriend and her brother off the trail."

Hex blinked. "What?" he repeated dumbly. "Iris and Colt don't know anything about you're little quest, Emla. They're as clueless and uninterested as I am in the whole thing."

"Perhaps not."

"Perhaps not?" Hex echoed her. He floundered for words. "Iris would tell me if they were in on this. So would Colt for that matter. Check your source sweetheart because they've got it wrong this time."

Emla stepped forward so that a shaft of light crossed a face that wasn't beautiful in the classical sense, like Iris'. It was a medieval kind of beauty that she possessed. 

Hex noticed it suddenly with surprise and stared.

"They're both in on it and they're giving the probability more branches," Emla said, unaware of her new found attention. "This is between me and Declan."

"Declan and I," Hex corrected without thought. His mind whirred with possibility. Did Iris sound more than a little interested when he'd spoken to her about the Book? She'd had to leave to make a call to Colt and he hadn't spoken to Colt for a while either. 

Maybe it was true. Maybe…

Hex shook his head to himself. Even if it was true then he couldn't promise he would get his friends off Emla's back. It was a big ask on her part and he had to admire her because she would have had to swallow a lot of pride to bring herself to face him like this. 

Too bad it was a waste of her breath. He owed his first loyalties to Iris and Colt. Emla was simply a runner up.

"Well?" Emla asked impatiently. "Is it a deal?"

"No." Hex looked up and faced her squarely. "I can't help you on that count, Emla. No can do."

Emla's face tightened and she stepped towards him again. "Why?" she demanded angrily. "I need this more than they do. You know that."

"I owe them." Hex said simply.

"You owe them nothing!" she whispered harshly. He felt her breath against his face while hers was inching closer and closer to his. "Colt is a cold hearted bastard who wouldn't help you if it meant getting his shoes wet."

"He does have armani shoes," Hex considered, smirking.

"He's out for money, girls and a good time. Not neccesarily in that order either," Emla persisted. Her voice was filled with anger and frustration yet her eyes held desperation. "You can't rely on him to be there for you so don't give him the same treatment. You're being a blind idiot. You can't even see that Iris is a-"

"Leave Iris out of this." Hex voice was cold, flat and warning. His eyes held all the warmth of a glacier. 

Emla hesitated. "No, I can't. She's a b-"

Hex felt protective fury envelope him and he reached forward to grab Emla's arm roughly in an effort to shake her.

He never got to shake her.

He never got the chance.

He got as far as touching the skin of her bare arm and then something stopped him.

And that something was new and all encompassing.

He wasn't sure if he liked it.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four ****

Chapter Four

Hex' golden eyes were transfixed. Emla's own gaze was upturned to meet the dazzled and confused expression currently settling across the lamia's face. 

__

Are you doing this? Emla demanded angrily. A tumult of emotions were flooding her and remaining calm was an amazing effort.

__

I'm a vamp not a witch, Hex answered. His mental voice was just as accusing as her own was.

__

It's not me! Emla defended. She had to pause when a sudden image filled her head. It was a memory but it wasn't her own. _Stop it! I don't want to know about you! _She yelled.

She could feel Hex struggling to hold his thoughts inside himself but he couldn't and nor could she. It was a no holds barred situation and Emla knew that all her life could be flashing before Hex' eyes.

The thought was not at all comforting.

__

It's the soulmate principle, Hex said softly in a voice filled with awe and surprise. _It actually exists._

Great now get rid of it, Emla said. Her voice was filled with a desperation that Hex had never heard. It was also a voice of fear and he realized then that she was scared. 

Somewhere inside of him something melted though he didn't realize it. He felt himself reaching out to her and pulling her against his chest then crushing him in a tight embrace. His arms held her in a tight and protective circle and without any conscious thought of doing it, he bent down to kiss the top of her head softly.

Emla looked up then.

Blue eyes that had once been cold and hard had softened to reveal ocean depths of clear and untarnished beauty. She looked unsure and confused. Her eyes searched his face in an effort to see what he was thinking.

Hex smiled to himself. 

She was so strong, so determined and proud. She had practically signed her own death certificate just to avenge the death of her sister. She had guts alright.

Then his lips were on hers and all other thoughts left his head as he experienced the gentle pressure of her mouth against his. It was a kiss that sent his mind spiraling into feelings of warmth and wonder. He felt like laughing. He felt like he was drowning.

Emla felt so right in his arms. They fitted together perfectly and instinctively. His arms tightened around her back.

__

'Five minutes'.

Hex' pulled away suddenly and stepped back. Without his warmth protecting her, Emla felt cold all of a sudden and she looked up at this dark haired vampire that was her soulmate with confusion in her eyes.

"Five minutes until what?" she asked.

Hex looked over his shoulder. "Five minutes before Iris leaves me," he answered.

The words were like a physical blow to Emla. Her stomach seemed to plument to her shoes and her heart burned in a pain unlike every one she had known. "You'd better leave, then."

Hex looked back. His yellow eyes blinked in a drugged kind of way. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly, Emla was standing in front of him with hurt and confusion in her eyes and then Iris, Iris the love of his life, was waiting outside for him.

He hesitated. He didn't know Emla. He didn't know that this was for real but then…how could it not be? 

He shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. "I don't need this right now," he said to Emla, knowing he wasn't being fair and hating himself for it. "I'll get hold of you later. Okay? I promise."

He waited for an answer but Emla remained silent, staring stubbornly behind his shoulders from eyes that had turned from warm to glacial in all of five seconds. 

He paused and stared at her face, taking in each detail with an artists' eye and committing it to memory. "I'll see you soon," he said as good bye.

Then he was leaving Emla, his soulmate and twin half to his soul behind him for the shadow of a figure waiting outside the door. 

He stopped and waited, watching. The slim and elegant frame shifted slightly. A shimmer of auburn hair shone in the lamplight as the girl turned her head and for one electrifying moment their eyes met.

Iris smiled and her emerald eyes twinkled.

Hex couldn't move. His heart had nearly stopped. To go back or go forward? His feet didn't' know where to lead him, his head didn't know what to think. Then he was looking behind his shoulder to where he had been standing. To where Emla should be standing and to where she now wasn't.

His eyes stared in disbelief. Then he took a breath and turned back to Iris Auroch. The girl of the flaming hair and the girl that ten minutes ago had held his heart in her hand.

Now all that had changed.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five ****

Chapter Five

Iris was at Hex' house half an hour later and she was contemplating whether she should stay or not. If she were truthful, she would admit that she should probably go because if Hex didn't rise out of his well of despair she would probably rise to kill him with any means neccesary.

He was not in a good mood. In fact, the minute he had walked out of the Cave he had had a little boy lost thing going for him. The eyes were dark and full of something that Iris couldn't identify and his face was tight and drawn and weary.

Iris coughed into the silence and managed to get his attention. 

Hex jumped in his seat and turned his slightly out of focus eyes to her. "What? Oh, yeah, I agree totally," he agreed, panicked.

Iris refrained from rolling her eyes but she did bite down on her lip to stop some vile and evil words popping out. "I think I might go," she said stiffly. She pulled herself off the couch with predatory grace and walked to the door.

It was a few moments before Hex's footsteps could be heard behind her but she refused to stop. He had been a complete bore not to mention a completely rude bore. She opened the door and went to walk through it when a hand that undoubtedly belonged to Hex snapped past her and knocked it closed with a loud bang.

Iris spun around, surprised. "What are you doing?" 

Hex's hand reached up slowly to touch her cheek. It was a soft gesture filled with intent. His eyes were unreadable as he stared into hers. 

"Hex?" she asked again. "What are you doing?"

His eyes were soft and so easy to fall into. His lips were slightly parted and he leaned forward. She knew what would happen next.

His mouth moved across hers searchingly with a kind of determined hunger. His arms around her back were tight and strong as he held her. Finally, and a little breathlessly, she pulled back to look into his face. 

There was a silence as they stared at each other.

Hex looked down at her, Iris Auroch, with a knowing remorse tinged with tenderness and love. Her face, tipped upwards to look at him, had her personality written across it. Determination in her eyes, stubbornness in the curve of her lip and of course, her pride, in the way she held her head up high.

All this and an aching beauty that never failed to catch his breath. He traced the rise of her cheekbone with a finger and stroked the soft, pale, petal soft skin. His hand ran behind her neck where he lifted the cloak of her hair with a careless hand.

He wrapped his arms around her suddenly, crushing her lithe body to him. His arms trapped her own against her and he leaned down her shoulder to bury his face in her hair.

"Hex?" she sounded worried now, concerned even. It had taken him so long to make her care. So much time and effort and a sword of iron trust before she permitted him entrance inside her mind, her body and her soul.

"Hex? Is something wrong?"

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, blocking out the pain that wrenched his heart. His arms tightened even more around her. He breathed in her hair, inhaled her warmth and memorized the sound of her heart beating next to his.

Then he pulled back slightly but he wouldn't release her completely. She searched his face and his eyes for some expression, an indication of his sudden change of behavior.

"Do you feel anything?" he asked softly, pleadingly.

She looked confused. "What do you mean? Of course I can feel you."

He shook his head, exasperated and exhausted at the same time. "Not me," he urged. "*Me* The real me."

A smile tugged at her lips and his heart grew warm at the sight. "You don't mean to tell me that after all these years I find out now that you're not real?"

Hex looked at her hard and long and the smile was wiped from her face. He brought his hands up and cupped her face in their hold. Then that was all. There was no other movement, no more words or smiles. Just silence that stretched further than tomorrow.

"Do you love me?" he asked.

Iris face twisted in pain and her eyes closed. Her lips parted then closed again. She inhaled a long, deep breath of air. "Don't ask me that," she said flatly, emotionlessly.

"Do you love me?" he repeated softly, waiting.

"Hex," she warned meaningfully. "Why are you saying all this? What's **wrong**?" Her voice was filled with a sense that something was very, very wrong.

"Do you love me, Iris?" His voice was harsher now, demanding. Whatever happened, he intended to pull an answer from her lips.

She tried to pull away from him but his hands held her fast in an iron grip. She struggled half-heartedly but didn't really try. He couldn't see that she was cracking, that her emotional front was crumbling in front of him because he was blind to it. He was intent on finding on answer, a reply, anything, that he didn't see her struggles were made in a desperate need to escape such a confrontation.

"*Do you love me, Iris? *" He was yelling. He was aware in some distant part of his mind that he was yelling at her. At her, Iris Auroch, the girl that had held his heart for so long and had never really seen it as valuable.

He shook her. Hard. 

Her face was filled with shock, pain and an unearthly light. Then she began to fight back. She wrenched out of his grasp roughly and stepped backward. Her eyes raged at him. Eyes that were shiny with some alien material that he had never seen in their depths before. Tears. Tears that he'd never thought to see.

Then he knew that he had taken it too far. He had lost control and he had lost himself. He stepped toward her. "Iris," he whispered. "Gods, Iris, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I don't know…" He looked away. "I'm sorry."

There was a tense silence and when he looked back at her he saw her in her glory. She stood tall, straight and proud. Her face was stripped of emotion and her voice was flat when she finally spoke.

"I'm going to go now, Redfern."

He nodded helplessly, understandingly. He heard a tone of finality in her voice, a hidden depth of a good bye even. When the door clicked shut, his eyes closed of his own accord and despair and sorrow engulfed him in a dark cloud of misery.

He turned to look out his window and into the street below. He saw a single solitary finger get into a shiny, new car without even a backward glance. Iris stubbornly refused to look back at him.

It was then that he knew it was over.

.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.

"Iris! Are you running on Eastern Standard Time or what? Do you know that it's four in the morning?"

Iris pushed past her brother's sleep ridden figure and walked into his apartment. She went to the kitchen where she predictably found a bottle of scotch. "Call yourself a vampire, Colt," she called over her shoulder, frowning intently at the amber liquid. "We're meant to live in the night."

Colt yawned tiredly. His hair was ruffled and mussed, his eyes were bleary. "What are you doing?" he asked absently.

"Having a night cap," she answered, promptly downing a shot of scotch. It burned her throat and warmed her. She was feeling better already.

"Pour me one then," Colt said, sitting down beside her at the bench. She obeyed. One for him and for her. Colt raised his glass to her. "So, what are we drinking to?"

Iris took another shot and winced. When she looked up, Colt was gazing at her curiously. "What?" she snapped.

"'what'?" he mocked. "What happened to good old fashioned manners?" 

She didn't answer. He watched silently as she poured yet another drink. He downed his at the same time and shook his head slightly at the taste. Her silence was unusual and Colt knew that something was up because his sister looked decidedly down. 

"What is it, sister dearest? The hair dryer broke again? You didn't follow the Jenny Craig points plan properly?"

"He's found her."

Colt stilled. "Hex? How do you know?"

Iris pushed back her stool violently and the scraping of it against the floor was piercing. She went to the sink and poured a glass of water. "I know, okay?" she snapped. "I could tell."

Colt for once was at a loss for words. Finally, he managed, "Do you know who she is?"

Iris shook her head dismally. "No. I'm not sure if I want to. I might get tempted to tar and feather her."

Colt almost smiled but he stopped. He knew this was serious. Although, it had been a blatant fact that Iris had never * loved * Hex, he knew that she cared about him. A lot. You couldn't not with a history as long as theirs. 

"Are you going to kill yourself in the name of love?" he inquired softly. "Or are you going to move on and let it be." He sung the last three words and flung his arms out wide to the old tune. "You knew it would happen. Hex' line are 'partial' to soulmate crap so to speak. Look at their bloody history."

Iris sniffed. She shook her hair back and rubbed her hand into her eye in a childlike gesture. Colt softened. His sister was the most annoying person he knew, the most stubborn with the worst attitude to nearly everything but she was tough. If she had to drink to make herself feel better at the moment, then she'd been hit hard.

"Hex was just a passing kinda guy anyway," Colt continued, rambling in an attempt at reassurance. "He's not the reliable sort for sure and the way he dresses? It's a crime. He deserves a bullet for that alone."

"Is that an offer?" Iris asked, almost smiling.

Colt grinned. "You call it." Iris smiled then. She knew that Colt was being only half-serious. Hex and him were still good friends and he wasn't going to shoot the guy for finding his soulmate.

"I wonder who she is," Iris mused absently. "I wonder if she's prettier than me."

Colt rolled his eyes. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. It doesn't _matter _who she is okay? She's nothing. She's an insignificant particle that we would probably breathe in and choke out. She's a waste of perfectly good oxygen, an airborne toxic event even. Forget her."

"Yeah, okay," Iris rolled her eyes. "Sure thing boss."

Colt smiled coolly. "That's got a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

"Don't get used to it."

Colt reached an arm out to wrap around her slim shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. With the other hand he offered another shot glass. "You want?"

She stared at it for a moment then shook her head. She reached out and tipped it back in the bottle before leaning back again to snuggle into Colt's shoulder.

Her brother looked down at the top of her head and felt a tug on his heart. Sometimes he had to remind himself that his little sister wasn't as invincible as she made out. He wrapped another arm around her and then stood, looping a hand under her knees and picking her up.

"You need to eat some pies, sis," he advised after noticing her weight. "You're all bones and no meat."

"Thanks," was the dry, sleepy response.

Colt looked down again and saw her eyes were shut, her eyes lashes dark crescents against her perfect marble skin. He sighed and kicked the door open to the room he kept for her at his apartment. He pulled the covers back and placed her down gently underneath them before tucking her in.

She was allowed her moments of weakness occasionally. He knew that the Hex situation would have hit her hard and would have hurt, but he knew that tomorrow, she would have pushed it from her mind and moved on.

Tomorrow, she'd be back to normal because it took more than Hex Redfern to ruin **his** sister.

And tomorrow, they would start the search for the Book of Vlath and maybe she'd forget about that little drug-dealing bastard that he had once called a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Hex let out a yawn and stretched his arms and legs out across the bed. The sheets were twisted around him, which was usual as he was told he was a restless sleeper. He yanked and pulled

until he was free to swing his legs across onto the floor.

He leaned on his knees for a moment, his head falling forward as a great sigh escaped his mouth. Last nights events rose unbidden in his memory.

That god awful 'moment' with Emla followed by the horrible, sinking feeling of clarity when he was able to put a name to the unwanted sensations that had come over him.

The Soulmate Principle.

He flopped back onto his back with a groan.

It wasn't supposed to exist. It was meant to be an urban myth. Now it seemed to be a suburban reality. And Emla? Of all people.

Then of course, his thoughts turned to the other woman of his life. The woman his life had once revolved around.

Iris.

He had never treated her like he had last night. He winced painfully at the memory. She had seemed worried, then confused and finally, extremely angry. It was an angry he'd seen a glimpse of a few times in the last few years.

But it had never been directed at him.

There had always been unspoken lines between them. Lines that were silently acknowledged and respected by both of them. She didn't ask about the other girls, or activities he meaninglessly indulged in on the side.

He didn't ask her to love him.

Hex knew that he had practically picked up the line and thrown it round his neck, strangling himself and every last hope of any further relationship with Iris Auroch.

He pulled himself up and reluctantly went to his feet. Under the hot spray of the shower he wondered how his life had been turned upside down and inside out in less than a day and what the hell he was going to do with it now.

He shut the faucet off abruptly as the sound of his phone beeped through the bathroom door. Holding a towel loosely around his waist he bent down to retrieve his cellphone from his bedstand.

It flashed, informing him he had just received a text message. The number was unlisted.

Hex frowned and pushed the 'open' button.

_"Don't you think we should talk about last night? Emla."_

"I can't believe you think the library is going to cheer me up."

Colt Auroch smiled amusedly at his sister, giving her a light push on her shoulder as she stood in front of the building, disbelief and disgust mingled across her face. "Come on, it's not that bad. Just go through the doors and you'll be fine."

"But I've never been through the doors," Iris protested. "I don't _want_ to go through the doors. I don't need to know what's on the other side of those doors."

Colt pushed her a little harder this time.

"Beyond those doors are books, sister dear." He managed to nudge her forward a step. "Just books. Those big scary things with paper inside and chapters and….wait for it…._words._"

Iris scowled. "I do have a basic understanding of a book thank you, brother darling. I do however lack understanding as to why we want to enter a building that holds thousands of them. Besides," she wrinkled her nose. "Books smell, and from what I've heard, libraries tend to smell also."

Colt couldn't really argue with her there. The few libraries he had been to had indeed all possessed the old, mellowing smell of age and dust. As did the majority of librarians that had worked in them.

Nevertheless they were going to have to inhale that overpowering aroma if he was to get what he wanted.

Using both his hands this time, on either shoulder, he marched her purposely through the doors and into the library.

He glanced around for a moment, gathering his thoughts while beside him Iris began looking slightly annoyed.

"So they were right," she confirmed, her nose wrinkling. "It does smell."

Colt rolled his eyes. "Come on, this way."

He headed for the stairs and began bounding up them two at a time. He could hear the faint sound of Iris' footsteps behind him. They didn't stop until they had reached the third floor.

"Ok, this is where I found the information that led me to that house," he said quietly as his sister fell into step beside him. "There's some books here, in the Night World section that hinted of the Book of Vlath and its origin. Mind you, it took me six months or so to unravel the rest of the puzzle but it all pretty much started here."

"So we're starting again," Iris summed up emotionlessly. "Fantastic."

"You could try to be a tad more positive," Colt scowled. "We're not starting again. We're retracing." He rounded the corner to a darker set of aisles. Iris walked behind him as the walkway had suddenly narrowed so only one person could walk along it at a time.

He turned down another set of aisles and rounded a sharp corner until he came to an area of the library that appeared to be cut off and remote from the rest of it. The books here looked older. The smell, Iris noted, seemed stronger.

Colt nodded at a girl seated at a desk in the corner. Her face was lit by a single lamp as she bent over a book, her finger tracing lines across the page as her mouth moved wordlessly. She glanced up at them as they passed but seemed uninterested.

"Here it was." Colt came to a stop.

Iris stopped beside him. "Was?"

Colt's eyes searched frantically along the shelf, his fingers ran along the spines of books that were tattered and bent. He ran a hand through his hair and scowled, muttering a few swear words under his breath.

"It's not here." He said.

Iris raised her brows. "Hmm. Yes, I'd gathered that." She looked around. "So where else would it be? Someone might have borrowed it. This is a library after all."

Colt glared. "Yes it is a library. This area is a restricted library. The books don't go out. They don't leave this building."

Iris shrugged. "So a library has rules. Who would have thought?"

Colt threw her a withering look that she merely tilted her head and smiled at. She followed with a sigh as he walked purposefully towards the girl at the desk.

"These books are held here by Night World law," he stated angrily. ""They aren't supposed to leave this room. They contain spells that make it impossible for them to leave this room." He leaned forward over the desk, his hands resting on either side of the girls open book. "Why is there a book missing?"

The girl leaned back in her chair. She was a witch. She looked slightly worried at the evident threat Colt was presenting and slowly moved her hands off the desk.

"Are you talking about the Black Diary by any chance?"

There was a deep silence.

Iris leaned over to catch the expression on her brother's face. This seemed to be getting interesting.

"Yes," he answered through gritted teeth. "I am. Where – is – it?"

The witch shifted uncomfortably. "It was taken," she replied, her eyes growing wider as Colt's fingers tightened on the desk edge. "I…uh…I mean someone took it." She swallowed, her voice taking on a slight tremor. "They had Council permission," she stammered. "I don't –"

"_Who_ took it?" Colt's voice was harsh, low and threatening. Iris didn't have to crane her neck to see the look she knew would be in his eye.

The girl pushed her chair back slightly. "I can't say," she managed. She was cowering down now, sinking lower in her chair. Iris moved forward beside her brother, adding to the menacing air that had crept into the room. The girl's eyes darted to her for a fraction. "I…wait…" she fumbled with a bracelet on her wrist and lent down, her eyes not leaving the two vampires before her.

Iris heard a slight 'click' sound and the girl pulled out a card. She slid it across the desk towards Colt. "Here," she whispered.

Colt took one look at the card and let out an explosive "F!"

He stormed out of the room without another word.

Iris paused long enough to let her eyes travel across the card. They came to rest on a single name.

_Declan Strartus._

She threw a final withering glance over her shoulder at the witch who was now pushing back into the bookshelf behind, as if willing herself to disappear into it.

She sighted her brother's furious stalk through the aisles and quickened her step to catch up with him.

'The library's an interesting place after all,' she mused thoughtfully.

_Hey, I know it's been a long, long time since I've written on fanfic. Life and all that seemed to get in the way. I just reread this story and decided I still liked it hence the effort to continue it. Please r/r, I may need the inspiration to keep it going!_


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